Invictus Spirit Inspirational Veterans
What Invictus Game Means to me, as a Canadian Peacekeeping Veteran.
Invictus to me, as a Veteran of the Canadian Military who joined the Army only a few months after Graduating High School in 1986 and did one UN Peacekeeping Tour of Duty overseas to Iran in 1988, continuing to serve as a Radio Operator (Signals) until August 1995; it says that every individual, who served our nations are like a phoenix rising out of the ashes of the chaos of our past. Where we are, as the MacLeod of Lewis Clan family motto says, “Shine, Not Burn,” while we see that we are not alone. For too long, so many of us have been adrift in our lives, walking outside our bodies, being like a wolf without claws in a crowd, just as life continues. With the tremendous help coming from Invictus Games, we, as Veterans, can break the shell that has surrounded and imprisoned many of us for too long.
During the Opening Ceremonies for the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Sarah Mclachlan's song “I Will Remember You " was fitting for the meaning of Invictus.
It shone a beacon of light, cutting through the darkness, just like so many Veterans have been moored in their lives and shining like a lighthouse, guiding them back to calmer waters. Holding their hands and telling so many of us that the nightmares in our minds and sleep no longer have to be the boogeyman that hides under the bed, waiting for us to shut our eyes. Like the Phoenix, we can “Hold Fast” with a united front of many others, shouting to the darkness that we will not go gently into the night. Yes, we can move mountains and accomplish things that many of us thought were impossible a short time ago. For, we as Veterans remember the ones we have lost over the years, and it is in their memories that we forge forward together, with our numbers growing daily.
It is possible. To be unconquered.
Invictus Games says we, veterans, will not crumble or break. As we have been forged out of the fiery pits, hidden within the darkness, and like the Phoenix, it is our time to “Shine Not Burn.”
Long after the Invictus Games here in Toronto are gone, the memories of the incredible strides that we, as Veterans of all nations, have accomplished will propel us forth like a diving board into our future, knowing that we are not alone. With our numbers, we will not be defeated. Go forth with the Invictus spirit of many as we continue with the pathway of our lives. Be the master of faith and the captain of our souls. Never give up. Never give in, never, never, because the spirit of Invictus Games Toronto 2017 has inspired me and everyone fortunate to see and feel this spirit amongst the competitors, families, supporters, and community.
Written by Reginald Angus Argue
Disabled Canadian Peacekeeping Veteran
Host of The Reginald Show
